May my eyes become filled with anxious desire on seeing the waves of Vrindavan’s nectarean splendor!May my intelligence dive deeply into the ambrosial ocean of Vrindavan’s glories!May my body, imbued with joy and spiritual desire, roll in the dust of Vrindavan!And may I fall down in prostrated obeisances to all of Vrindavan’s creatures in every direction! (1.14)

Commentary

The prayer to have all the senses engaged in devotional actions is frequently seen throughout the Bhagavatam. For instance, in the month of Karttik when the Damodar lila is remembered. Here, the two sons of Kubera, whose sense of entitlement and privilege as the sons of the Lord of Wealth had led them to forget the basic niceties of civilized life. After spending a long time in the bodies of two trees, they were finally liberated by little Krishna, who dragged the mortar to which he was bound between the two massive trunks and toppled them. The brothers conclude their prayers to the Lord with this request:

May our speech be engaged in glorifying your qualities, our ears in hearing your katha, our hands in your service and I our minds in remembering your lotus feet. And may our heads be engaged in bowing down to you, the universal abode, and our eyes in gazing upon your devotees and the images of you in the temple. (10.10.38)

When Vritrasura saw that Indra was not throwing his thunderbolt at him, he thought, why should I speak to this Indra whom I see externally. Why should I not surrender myself to my Lord? The Lord then appeared to him in his meditation and Vritrasura began to speak this prayer:

ahaṁ hare tava pādaika-mūla-

dāsānudāso bhavitāsmi bhūyaḥ

manaḥ smaretāsu-pater guṇāṁs te

gṛṇīta vāk karma karotu kāyaḥ

O Lord, when shall I once again become the most humble servant of the servants of your lotus feet? My mind will remember your virtues, O master of my life, my power of speech will be used to glorify you, and my body will always be engaged in doing your work. (Srimad Bhagavatam 6.11.24)

“When shall I once again become the most obedient servant of those who have taken exclusive shelter of Your lotus feet? Tell me please, how long will it take before this happens? I am burning up with anxiety. If you say, ‘I am coming soon to make you mine, choose any benediction.’ then I shall tell you what I desire: May my mind always remember you, O Lord of my life! And may my words glorify your qualities, and my hands be engaged in massaging your feet, fanning you and furnishing betel nut. In this way I will serve you constantly in body, mind and words.” (Vishwanath)

The point is that engaging the senses in the service of the Master of the Senses is the very definition of bhakti-yoga. Let the senses always be busy, the mind will follow. And if the mind is engaged in remembering Krishna, the rest will follow.

Vihvala (“anxious desire”) is a favorite word of Prabodhananda’s. It means “agitated, perturbed, distressed, afflicted.” Prabodhananda usually uses it in relation to one of the senses. He prays for his sense to not just be engaged in its functions, but directed towards the pleasure of the Lord, but for it to be anxious and eager for such service,.vihvala.

The word is not so common, but Krishna himself used it to describe the gopis in separation from him:

When I, the most beloved of their beloved objects, am far away from them, the women of Gokula remember me and, perturbed (vihvala) by intense feelings of separation, they faint in their bewilderment. (10.46.5)

Seeing a peacock feather, Radha’s body becomes still with astonishment. Hearing the sound of Krishna’s flute, her body begins to tremble in an agitated state (vihvala). And then [in this state of mind], being pleased with my singing of the glories of Shyamasundar’s virtues, the daughter of Vrishabhanu will embrace me. (RRSN 19)

The idea becomes a little clearer with the following prayer from RRSN,

May my tongue become (vihvala) agitated with the desire
to relish the taste of the nectar of Radha’s name;
may my feet wander over the paths of Vrinda’s forest,
which are marked with her footprints;
may my hands be engaged in her work
and my heart in meditating on her feet —O that I may become absorbed in her festive mood (tad-bhāvotsavataḥ)
and thus have love (rati) for the Lord of her life.

Just one more verse, quite similar to the above, but related to Vrindavan Dham.

May my head always take great pleasure in bowing down to Sri Vrindavan Dham. May my tongue always be fervent (vihvala) about in singing its transcendent glories. May my hands be engaged in sweeping the new kunjas, my feet in walking there, my ears in hearing, my eyes in seeing, my mind in remembering its glories. (Vṛndāvana-mahimāmṛtam 7.48)

In Vrindavan, it is easier to engage the senses in Krishna’s service. Even without wishing it, the devotees are constantly singing the names of Radha and Shyam, Hari katha goes on everywhere, one can see the deity forms of the Lord inside almost every doorway, and fulfilling the purpose of the eyes by seeing the devotees is a daily occurrence that cannot be avoided. As a matter of fact, even without desire or awareness, the senses in Vrindavan are always in contact with the divine realm, for as Prabodhananda Saraswati says over and over again, everything here is cinmaya, a product of the internal energy of the Lord.